The Palestinian group Hamas has condemned Israel’s decision to prevent Palestinian worshippers from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the second Friday of Ramazan, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Hamas described Israeli actions and restrictive measures against Palestinians during the holy month as a “dangerous escalation” in what it called Israel’s “religious war”.

“The continued banning of worshippers from spending the night in prayer at Al-Aqsa for the second consecutive year represents a systematic attack on Muslim practices and an intensification of efforts to Judaize Jerusalem and its sacred sites,” it said.